Not Registered?

Welcome! Please register to view all of the new posts and forum boards - some of which are hidden to guests. After registering and gaining 10 posts you will be able to sell and buy items on our N'porium.

If you have any problems registering, then please check your spam filter before emailing us. Hotmail users seem to find their emails in the Junk folder.

Author
Topic: Speeding (Read 1873 times)

Just been reading about the possibility of introducing lowering the speed at which we could be fined to just 1 mph above the speed limit. Iím pretty sure there are some IAM on this forum and just wondered if, in their opinion, it is really possible to keep within the speed limits. Do they have any Ďtipsí? How accurate are car speedometers? When I am using my satnav it shows lower than the speedo.

Just been reading about the possibility of introducing lowering the speed at which we could be fined to just 1 mph above the speed limit.

Source for this article or policy?

The Vehicle Construction Act allows a tolerance on the speedometer reading, and this varies by vehicle type In my own car the build certificate show 10% at 110 km/h I know driving at a displayed 30mph roadside detectors have shown anything from 26 mph to 34 mph

It is up to each constabulary to decide what enforcement policy to use The majority of forces use speed limit plus 10% plus 2 mph, for fixed cameras

Sadly it would be too easy to defend such a case in court if the offence was driving at 31 mph in a 30 mph zone The case needs to show excessive speeding and it being in the public interest It would certainly be thrown out in Scotland

Here in New South Wales, there is a very hard line on speeding. The motorway limit is 110kph. I set my cruise control to 112, which the GPS shows is actually 110, and virtually nobody overtakes me. Drivers just don't take the risk.

Itís also worth adding that under current law they can, of course, fine you for being 1mph over the limit. The clueís in the name ďlimitĒ, although loads of people seem to think that theyíre untouchable below the mythical 10% +2mph over the limit. They just donít tend to do it because people would appeal for calibration issues and all sorts of other things, and the volumes would be massive.

Here in New South Wales, there is a very hard line on speeding. The motorway limit is 110kph. I set my cruise control to 112, which the GPS shows is actually 110, and virtually nobody overtakes me. Drivers just don't take the risk.

Exactly. It is so strict I often call NSW a police state.

I still to this day can't understand sitting on the UK motorways on the speed limit, and everything flying past me.

I'm probably going to court disaster here but when working as a salesman (all mouth & motorway) I used to drive on motorways at a steady 80mph and have never received a ticket in more than 400,000 miles. Even these days if you do less than 80 you seem to get in everyone's way!I still work on the basis the law will give me speed limit + 10% on motorways but strictly adhere to the speed limit for the many 'average speed limits' we have, and don't speed away from the motorway. I believe in the UK any police speed cameras must be visible by the motorist i.e. they're not allowed to hide in bushes for entrapment. It's bad enough they have lots of 'plain clothes' police cars on the M61 If your cruise control is somehow faulty and you get booked you cannot use the cruise control defect as a defence.What makes me laugh are the twits who, in an average speed control area, gallop past everyone and then slam their brakes on to go past the cameras. I don't think they've quite grasped the maths

I'm probably going to court disaster here but when working as a salesman (all mouth & motorway) I used to drive on motorways at a steady 80mph and have never received a ticket in more than 400,000 miles. Even these days if you do less than 80 you seem to get in everyone's way!I still work on the basis the law will give me speed limit + 10% on motorways but strictly adhere to the speed limit for the many 'average speed limits' we have, and don't speed away from the motorway. I believe in the UK any police speed cameras must be visible by the motorist i.e. they're not allowed to hide in bushes for entrapment. It's bad enough they have lots of 'plain clothes' police cars on the M61 If your cruise control is somehow faulty and you get booked you cannot use the cruise control defect as a defence.What makes me laugh are the twits who, in an average speed control area, gallop past everyone and then slam their brakes on to go past the cameras. I don't think they've quite grasped the maths

Like that section outside of Southport Mick -everytime I use it on goes the cruise control at 50mph -and I guarantee at least two cars will blast past after the narrow section at Mere Brow . The girl last week was on her phone as she went blazing past -then I think it dawned on her and the car suddenly developed at 30mph limit causing cars swerving everywhere round her ! The clue is there -AVERAGE !! Mind you I got caught 3 years ago in Wales doing 70mph in a tranny van -my last day for that company too ! Took the escape points course -and the fee that goes with it !

This is always a difficult subject but Iíll add my thoughts.Firstly, I am a retired driver trainer teaching people to drive, teaching on driver awareness courses, driver improvement courses and speed awareness courses (on behalf of the police) and fleet driver training (driver improvement for professional drivers) as well as teaching others to be driving trainers.My driving qualifications have elapsed but was an IAM member and held the highest driving qualifications available to civilians in ROSPA at Gold level and DIAmond Adv Special Award.Having said all of that, I am not the perfect driver and neither is anyone else.Speed limits are a VERY poorly trained and oft misunderstood area. I frequently took driving offenders out to improve their knowledge and driving ability in twos or threes. As we were driving around I would ask them , at frequent intervals, to tell me the speed limit. Iíd usually get this response...Ēoh itís 30 here, no wait, 40,no - itís national limit - thatís 70 right, oh or is it 60 pr even 50Ē.So, in a short stretch 3 people would disagree totally.This is all down to people being trained (usually at 17) to pass the test (on roads they would eventually know well) rather than being trained to drive.Very few drivers, if questioned, can explain with any certainty what the speed limit is at any one time. It is easy (once you know) but people are simply not supplied with the knowledge right at the beginning of their initial driver training.Itís nobodys failt, except maybe the system (but thatís a topic for discussion elsewhere). I remember all to well at 17, I didnít care about the rules - I just wanted that pass certificate which allowed me to get on the road. I can elaborate on the visual identifiers of speed limits but itís easier done verbally rather than in writing but if people want, Iíll give it a go.Finally, the official line is that the limit is the limit. There is no disgretion. But...it is right to conclude that tolerances are allowed (within reason). It would be virtually impossible to implement a zero tolerance level.Hope that helps, itís not meant to be a lecture but just a statement of the facts as I see them.